california: hiking in mount tamalpais

Dave arrived in San Francisco after I had been there for about ten weeks, and one of the things he was most keen to do was hike at Mount Tamalpais. We drove there across the Golden Gate Bridge (which was exciting enough as it is!) and wound our way up to the visitor centre. It was such an amazing drive, we couldn’t believe how high it was. San Francisco looked tiny from right at the top.

Map in hand, we decided to do a four mile round trip, the Steep Ravine trail down the mountain, and the Dipsea trail back up. Steep Ravine was a steep (doh) trail through a magical redwood forest, with babbling brooks and waterfalls along the way. It felt like fern gully come to life.

To come back up, the Dipsea trail starts with Cardiac Hill – this is exactly as you would imagine it to be, and I was rubbish at it. I had to pull it together when a 70 year old man went skipping past me as I was leaning against a tree trying not to get a cramp. Then is a gentle upward wind through a pine forest and along the coastal bluffs, with pretty ridiculous views of the ocean.

If you are in San Francisco it is definitely worth spending a day exploring round Mount Tamalpais – have you ever been?